Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-12-21
SCIENCE OF SPELLING.
Advantages of the Phonetic system Ov
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and learn as much spelling in three DAYS
as has heretofore been taught and learned
in one hundred days; make as much
progress in learning to spell the English
language in three weeks as has bsen &C.
complished heretofore in one hundred
weeks, and reach a more perfect result at
the end OF three months than has hereto
fore been possible at the end of one hun
dred months. In other words the use of
the science of spelling saves ninety
seven per cent. Of the time and labor
heretofore wasted in learning to spell.
As there can be but one multipl ication
table that is absolutely perfect, equally
applicable in all lands aud ATTITUDES, so
there can be but one table Of letters alb
solutely perfect, equally applicable in all
lands and ATTITUDES; and as there can be
but one science of numbers absolutely
exact, however varied the propositions
may be, so there can be but one science of
spelling absolutely exact, however varied
the words may be. Science is universal
A system OF spelling that could bs used il
spelling English words would not be
science unless it could also be applied Il
other languages. and spell all the words
with absolute precision that fell from the
lips of man.
The science of spelling does not stor
to inquire the language of the speller, nor
the meaning of the word he spells, nor
its his DRY, but contents itself with SPELL
ing the word to be spelled with absolute
accuracy.
1t is not a complicated or difficult
science, as many might suppose, but sc
simple and so easy that 1t is a matter of
establishment that some scholar had not
brought it to the attention of the people
Although the result of twelve separate
discoveries, and many inventions, each OF
the discoveries and inventions are so sim
pie that any man Of common sense. with
close attention TO the subject, might have
made them long ages ago. Spelling,
writing and reading must, from necessity
be the business of children-young chill.
dren; and the science is adapted to the
capacities of young children.
Small children should learn to spell
small words first-easy words, of one syl-
liable. And they should learn to spell
these small words by classes, all the words
in any one class being spelled in the same
way, so that when the children have
learned to spell five or six words
of one class, they can spell all
the other words of that class as rapidly as
the teacher can pronounce them. All the
words of the sixth class, for instance. are
spelled with three letters-a consonant, q
vowel and a consonant-and there are
LAO English words in that class. The
writer has instructed children, six or seven
years old, so that after thirty minutes
they were able to spell all the words of
that class, accurately and correctly, as
fast as the teacher could pronounce words
for them to spell.
When very young children, four, five and
six years old, who have never been to
school, and have never been laughter
mis-taught-make an attempt to spell
they give to the letters their natural
names, and from the lips of these very
young children we have picked the names
of all the letters.
We have four short rules for handling
this entire science. They are printed in
this column, aud occupy about one inch Of
space. One rule is for naming vowels,
another for naming consonants, another
concerning silent letters, and the other fol
spelling the words.
Rule 1.-The sound of any vowel is the
name of that vowel.
Rule 2-The sound of any consonant
followed by 9, as in me, is the name OF
that consonant.
Rule 3-Never use any silent letters.
Rule Name each letter in the word,
and then pronounce the word.
These are the only rules needed. They
are wide-reaching in their effect, and hold
the speller in contact with nature, science
and common sense. Children four or five
years old always use these rules wher
they try to spell.
If the American people desire to pre-
serve the English language and its liter.
allure, and make it the language and lit.
erature of the earth, they must consent tC
spell their words in accordance with the
laws of science, and place them on paper
in decent and common-sense garb, and
they have no time to lose in doing so.
If this science of spelling can be used
merely as a step-ladder, leading the
younger children up to the mystery of the
old system, il will enable them to master
the old system two years sooner than they
master it now. The Introduction of this
science into the kindergartens and pri ma.
ry schools will save many millions of
dollars in annual taxation for school pur.
poses, and give the children a more gem
eral and better education while younger
in years.
Benevolent people, who wish to benefit
mankind, or do something for the we'll
fare of those who are coming, can invest
their money in introducing and spreading
this science with the certainty of good re-
suits, as this science alone will be of more
real advantage TO the poor, to the Hitter.
ate, to the oppressed, to the children of
toll, than the combined efforts of all the
missiOnarieS-home and foreign-upon
the globe.
There is no longer any question or doubt
as to the merits of the science, it's sim
plicity, accuracy, neatness or wide-reach-
ing, practical value. 1t has been pract cal.
ly tested, in a small way, in the presence
of so many competent judges, that all
doubt has disappeared.
We asked the Forty-ninth Congress for
an appropriation of $4,000 to pay Torrent.
ing and seating a school-room in Chicago
large enough to seat a thousand visitors,
and keep the said school open to the pub
lie for one year, so that they might see,
hear and examine the science in practical
use. The bill never reached a vote. Be-
fore the people can approve, they must
see and hear. The old system of spelling
is an old, cl umsy, stage-coach upon a mud
dy road; the science of spelling is a train
of palace cars upon l-balla ted steel
track. The old system is leaky canal.
boat, drawn by horses, confined within
the mud-bauks of a shallow stream, used
in only one language; the science of spell
ing is an unprecedented steamship, nav
igating the wide ocean of human speech,
combining strength, durability, safety,
speed and comfort. 1t is well worth all
that it may cost. Let the American peo-
pie consider, and then act.
Millions for Religion.
The English Church receives in tithes
about S2J,O0O,O0 coo year. OF this amount
-, 100000 is expended in hospitals, schools.
church building. etc. and the rama n in o